Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
The present invention relates to a barbecue grill cooking surface assembly. More specifically, the present invention relates to a cooking surface assembly for use within a cooking chamber of a barbecue grill.
As the popularity of gas barbecue grills has increased, manufacturers have introduced a number of accessories for use with these grills. One type of accessory is an insert for use within the cooking chamber of the grill. Conventional insert designs have a griddle portion with a generally flat surface and a grate portion with a plurality of elongated or circular openings.
Typically, the insert is positioned within the cooking chamber and above a heating element. When the grill has existing grates, those grates can be removed from the cooking chamber and the insert is placed therein. Alternatively, the insert is positioned on the existing grates. The vast majority of inserts are sheet metal and have a thin-wall construction to facilitate heat transfer through the insert.
A concern with inserts of this type is that grease and other byproducts generated by cooking food on the insert drains through the openings and onto the heating elements located below the insert. When the grease and byproducts come into contact with the heating elements, the grease rapidly ignites causing a flare-up. The size of the flare-up increases as the quantity of grease contacting the heating element increases. Flare-ups can also result from grease contacting other cooking chamber components positioned below the insert. Flare-ups decrease the life of the heating elements and can negatively effect other grill components. In addition, flare-ups can unexpectedly burn food located on the insert.
A second concern is the accumulation of grease and byproducts on the upper surface of the insert which can negatively effect the cooking process. A related concern is the accumulation of grease and byproducts within the openings of the grate portion of the insert. Over time, the openings can become partially or fully clogged. In an attempt to remedy these conditions, a number of conventional inserts have a drain opening. A user moves grease and byproducts to the drain opening wherein the grease and byproducts haphazardly pass through the opening and either come into contact with the heating element or accumulate in some portion of the cooking chamber. In the former case, the flare-ups described in the previous paragraph result. In the latter case, the grease and byproducts continue to accumulate in portions of the cooking chamber. The accumulated grease and byproducts can negatively effect the performance and operation of the grill components, including but not limited to the heating elements.
An example of inserts susceptible to such concerns identified above is U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,047 to Mosher et al. Referring to FIG. 2B therein, an insert 10 is shown having a griddle 22 and a cooking surface with raised ribs 23. An opening 25 is located at one end of the insert 10 to drain grease and byproducts generated during the cooking process. The ribs 23 are designed to induce the flow of grease into the opening 25 where it drains into a drip tray 1 positioned roughly below the opening 25. Because there is no structure between the opening 25 and the drip tray 1 to guide the flow and movement of grease, the drainage is uncontrolled. As a result, the grease and byproducts can accumulate in unexpected areas and a number of the negative concerns identified above can result.
Another example of an insert with the concerns identified above is U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,361 to Richter. As shown in FIG. 5 therein, the insert 50 has a grill section 54 formed from a number of slots 56, and a griddle section 56. The griddle section 56 has a plurality of ventilation openings 58 that permit smoke to flow around and flavor food being prepared on the griddle section 56. There is no structure between either the grill section 54 or the griddle section 56 to guide the flow and drainage of grease and byproducts of the cooking process. Accordingly, the drainage of grease and byproducts is uncontrolled and the insert 50 is prone to the negative concerns identified above.
Therefore, there is a definite need for a cooking surface assembly that ensures the controlled drainage of grease and byproducts to avoid contact with the heating elements and to prevent accumulations which negatively effect the performance of the barbecue grill components. Also, there is a need for a cooking surface assembly that is durable and can be removably positioned within the cooking chamber of the barbecue grill. In addition, there is a need for a cooking surface assembly that partitions the cooking chamber to create distinct heating or cooking zones such that the temperature fo the zones can be individually controlled and regulated during the cooking process.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.
The present invention relates to a barbecue grill assembly including a cooking chamber and a cooking surface assembly removably positioned therein. The cooking chamber has at least one heating element, for example a gas burner, positioned in a lower portion of the cooking chamber. The gas burner can have a plurality of burner areas. The gas burner can be a burner tube and multiple burner tubes can be located in the cooking chamber.
The cooking surface assembly has a first portion with a griddle cooking surface and an aperture, and a second portion with a plurality of openings forming a grate cooking surface. Also, the cooking surface assembly has a duct depending from a lower surface of the first portion. The duct has a length and is cooperatively positioned with the aperture to form a passageway. The passageway is adapted to receive grease and byproducts generated during the cooking process from the aperture. The passageway drains grease and byproducts towards the lower portion of the cooking chamber and away from the gas burner.
A peripheral portion of the cooking assembly surface is adapted to engage an inner surface of the cooking chamber to support the cooking surface in a use position. In the use position, a first burner area is generally positioned below the griddle surface, and a second burner area is generally positioned below the grate surface. The cooking chamber has a plurality of distinct zones. The first burner area is cooperatively positioned with the first zone and the second burner area is cooperatively positioned with the second zone. The zones are substantially defined by a wall positioned within the cooking chamber. This means that the wall is adapted to partition the first and second burner tubes to form a plurality of discrete heating zones. Preferably the wall depends from the lower surface of the cooking assembly and is positioned adjacent the passageway. Alternatively, the wall extends from a lower portion of the cooking chamber.
The first and second burner areas are adapted for independent heat adjustment of the zones of the chamber. Accordingly, the temperature of each of the zones can be independently controlled and monitored during the cooking process. This increases the versatility and value of the cooking surface assembly.
In a cooking chamber having two burner tubes as heating elements, the first portion is generally positioned above the first burner tube and the second portion is generally positioned above the second burner tube. The passageway drains and channels grease and byproducts to the lower portion of the cooking chamber and past the first and second burner tubes. In addition, the passageway is adapted to channel the grease and byproducts to a collection point within the cooking chamber or to a discharge port for collection beyond the cooking chamber.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the following drawings.